


A Spoonful of Sugar

by LadybugSin, Sinfulpapillon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 10:51:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13762545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadybugSin/pseuds/LadybugSin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinfulpapillon/pseuds/Sinfulpapillon
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a struggling fashion designer trying to make ends meet and is running out of options - and then a friend gives her an idea that just might help her, even if she isn't too keen on it.Gabriel Agreste is Paris' aloof and functionally 'shut-in' fashion mogul. Those close to him wish and practically demand that he actually get out more and not just for public appearances. But who in their right mind would be willing to spend time with a reserved and controlling man?Unless, of course, that someone was getting paid for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, thank you to Pip for being a help with the summary! Second, I have been toying with this au in my head for a while now, and hopefully I can actually keep up with this fic while my fiancee and I also work on the soulmate one. I have been having fun writing this though, so, yeah! Hope you guys enjoy!

“Well, if you _won’t_ take  _my_ money, you  _could_ just become a _sugar baby_.”

Marinette nearly choked on her drink at that. Was Chloé seriously. . . ? No, no, nope, she was going to ignore that for as long as she could! This was not why she had agreed to go out to lunch with her today, hell no!

“Come on, Marinette. How many options do you have?” Chloé continued, as if her suggestion didn’t just shave off two or three years of Marinette’s life. “Unless you’re actually out for lunch with me because you _totally_ got your ass out of debt and are now celebrating how _amazing_ your business is going right now?” She raised an eyebrow as she reached for her drink. “And _not_ because you needed me to buy you a meal for the day.”

“I _can_ actually pay this time, Chloé. I’m not going to mooch off of you. I’m not a charity case,” Marinette argued. Was she guilty of relying on Chloé for food? Sometimes. But she never went to her asking for it, no, she wasn’t going to sink that low.

But she also didn’t really want to go and ask anyone else to help her if she was in a pinch. The only reason Chloé would help her out sometimes is because she found out about the debt Marinette had fallen into.

Debt that just kept growing and growing.

When she had graduated university, Marinette had applied for a grant to start up her own fashion boutique. However, even though she had eventually been approved, she had gotten impatient and had taken out a decent loan to get started immediately. At first, it had been going alright. Unfortunately, Marinette’s weak point was advertisement.

So sales would decline. Most of the people that came by were people she knew or someone who happened to wander in by chance. She barely got any commission work, and most of that was, again, people she knew. Those were the pieces she didn’t have the heart to charge high prices for, either.

If she had gotten her start online, maybe this would be easier. She wouldn’t have the loan to try and pay off, she wouldn’t have rent she could barely pay on time, and she would definitely have money for groceries and other things. Hell, if she had just been patient and waited for the money her grant would have given her, then this mess could have still been avoided! But no. She had to rush into things.

“I know you’re not a _charity case_ , Marinette, I’m not an idiot.” Chloé shrugged, sipping at her drink before reaching for a breadstick. “But I also know that you’re not getting into a better place money-wise. How many outfits have you sold? Accessories?”

Marinette didn’t answer, instead pushing what little food she had gotten around on her plate. It was one thing to know her problems, but it was another to have it told to her so blatantly. The fact that _Chloé_ knew did somewhat sting, but everyone else would just end up worrying about her.

Chloé. . . Chloé was giving her options. Even if the options were things she didn’t entirely approve of.

Being a sugar baby was the last thing she wanted to consider. She’d rather take her chances, stick it out with her current situation, and hope for the best.

“Sales have actually gotten a bit better,” she finally said, taking a bite of her food. “And I actually got a few people to come by wanting to get some custom outfits made. People I didn’t know, Chloé.”

“But was it enough?”

The two of them just looked at each other for a moment, the silence serving as an answer to the question. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t going to ever be enough. Marinette was drowning in debt caused by her own impatience and rash behavior. She couldn’t go to her parents and ask for help, purely because she didn’t want them to worry. She didn’t have the heart to charge higher prices, either.

“Marinette, just think about it! You’re cute, like, super cute. You’d be perfect as a sugar baby! Older guys _love_ cute girls, so you’d fit in perfectly,” Chloé said, grinning. “Look, you’d just be going out on a couple of dates once or twice a week, or however often you want to go. You’d be setting everything up on your terms, okay? Sure, you and your daddy would have to come to an agreement on _some_ things, but it can all work out!”

Marinette watched as Chloé fished her phone out from her purse, unlocking it and immediately searching through it for something. She couldn’t be serious about this, right? Being a sugar baby. . . That was _Chloé’s_ thing. Chloé was the one who liked being showered with gifts and money and being taken around the world on luxurious trips. It was only natural that she would do something like this, right? She wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

But Marinette? She didn’t really want to be showered with gifts and money. She didn’t need to go on trips around the world. She just wanted to stay in Paris and run her boutique and take care of Tikki. Hell, she even had plans to maybe get married to someone one day! Being a sugar baby would completely ruin anyone’s image of her, right?

“Chloé, as. . . Helpful as the suggestion is, I can’t really-”

She never got the chance to finish her sentence, what with Chloé thrusting her phone into her face, the screen lit up with text messages between the blonde and someone else.

“See? My daddy is a _sweetheart_ , and all the different text messages he sends me are absolutely _adorable_. If you just scroll along, too, you’ll see that he sends me pictures of the different presents he gets for me! Sometimes he shows them right away, other times he shows them all wrapped up to keep it a surprise!”

Marinette sighed, pushing the phone away. “That’s nice and all, Chloé, but I don’t need gifts.”

Chloé laughed, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh, _please_ , Marinette, no one _needs_ gifts, but everyone _wants_ them. Besides, even if you were to get a daddy who just _showers_ you with gifts, you can turn around and sell them.” She continued to eat after that, as if she had made her point and that there would be no arguing otherwise.

Marinette didn’t like that. If anything, it made her feel just a tiny bit unsettled. Wouldn’t she also have to sleep with the guy? What if that was all she was being paid to do? She just. . . She couldn’t do that. She wasn’t desperate enough to resort to sleeping around with men just so she could get herself out of her debt.

“I’m sorry, Chloé, but I’m going to have to turn down your sugar baby idea,” she said, pushing her barely-touched food aside. “It’s just not for me, okay? I can’t just. . . Just go around and take money from someone like that, no matter the reason, I just _can’t_.”

For a moment, Marinette swore she saw sadness flicker across Chloé’s face. No, not sadness, what was she thinking? Clearly it was offense. After all, Chloé, sad? Never, and certainly not if someone was around to _see_ said sadness.

“I know it works for you, but it won’t work for me. I’ll figure out some other way to get myself out of this mess. And when I do, I’m going to be the one treating you to lunch. Anything you want.” She tried to smile at her, but the expression faltered quickly. She was having a hard time believing her own words. Still, she had to try, right?

“Well, you give me a call when you’re ready for that lunch then. And it’ll be _my_ pick for where we go, deal?” Chloé smirked at Marinette. “No backing out of this!”

Marinette nodded, managing a smile this time. “No backing out. I know.”

***

Marinette sighed, staring down at her phone. Over the past week, she had been trying to get money however she could. A few quick side jobs, deliveries for her parents that earned her a tip or two along the way, you name it. Any sales she would make in her boutique would be something to celebrate, and she thought she had enough money left over to buy a small treat for Tikki.

Only she had missed a payment. A debt collector had just called her to inform her about it, and she was still short.

She hated to admit it, but. . . She was running out of options. Nothing was bringing in enough money. Sales were barely going anywhere. There was no commission work to be done. There was really no other choice, was there? Out of everything she could do, there was one thing she had been avoiding for a week. Hell, longer than a week, if she thought about it.

With a heavy heart, Marinette dialed Chloé’s number, waiting until she heard her chipper and slightly bored ‘ _hello?_ ’ on the other end.

“Chloé. . . What do I have to do to be a sugar baby? How do I start?”

***

Chloé was at Marinette’s apartment within minutes, making her wonder if her former classmate had some kind of superpower. Unlikely, yes, but she did have money and she either had a driver (or her sugar daddy, for all Marinette knew) bring her over as soon as possible.

“So. You’re going to be a sugar baby then, even though last week you shunned my brilliant idea.” Chloé huffed, strutting past Marinette and over to the couch, immediately dropping down to lounge on it as if she owned the place and should be worshipped like a queen.

“I’ve got no other options, Chloé. I got a call from a debt collector today because I missed a payment, and I’ve barely got the money right now. For all I know, trying to be a sugar baby might just be a pointless attempt at crawling out of the hole I keep digging myself into.”

Chloé sighed, readjusting her position so she could be more comfortable. “Bring your laptop over, Marinette. And let me know how much your missed payment was. I know you don’t _want_ or _like_ my help, but if you’re going to give the sugar world a chance, it may take a _while_ before you get that sugar, and I’m sure you don’t want to miss a _second_ payment, hm?”

Marinette could only nod, quickly calling out the exact amount of her payment as she went to grab her laptop. This was really happening, wasn’t it? She was really going to resign herself to this life.

When she got back over to the couch, she nudged Chloé’s legs away so she could sit beside her.

Thankfully, Chloé didn’t stay sprawled out on the couch, instead sitting up and taking Marinette’s laptop the moment she had signed into it. Marinette could only watch as Chloé opened up her browser and type in the URL for what she could only assume was a sugar dating site. It was only when Chloé pulled up the new user page that she handed the laptop back over to her.

“Okay. If you have any questions, please, ask me. I’m more than happy to answer.”

Marinette glanced at Chloé before allowing her gaze to drift back to her laptop screen. Okay. Signing up on a sugar dating site. From the look of it, Chloé had already gotten it set to where she would be signing up as a sugar baby, so that was a bit of a start. She didn’t really like that she had to fill out personal information but, from what she could see, all of that could be kept private.

“Chloé. . . Other sugar babies and sugar daddies would only see my screen name, right? I don’t want my actually name to be on here.”

“Marinette, it’s up to you how much information you give out. If you only want potential sugar daddies to know your name, you’d tell them directly. You don’t have to reveal anything personal on your profile if you’re not comfortable with it. So, come on.” Chloé nudged her lightly. “Pick out a screen name for yourself. Oh, oh! And make it cute!”

Alright. A screen name then. Well. . . Different ideas popped into her head, each one sounding worse than the last.

Chloé groaned, nearly tugging the laptop from Marinette again. “You’re taking too long, don’t overthink this! This isn’t supposed to be _hard_. Come on, what if we make it something _funny_ ? Maybe have it relate to your name, _baker_ girl?”

Marinette shook her head at that idea. She didn’t want it to be too close to her name and easy to figure out who she is. Plus, knowing Chloé, she’d want to slip a pun in there somewhere. If there was something she didn’t really care for, it was puns.

Besides, she wanted this to reflect who _she_ was, even if she was keeping most information to herself. And if there was a way to do that without revealing her name. . . Perhaps something fashion related? But not fully, no. . . Oh! Wait a moment!

“What about ‘PrettyInPink’?” She typed the name into the box as she spoke, feeling a bit of relief when she saw that the name had not yet been used on the site. Good. That was going to make this a tiny bit easier.

Hopefully.

“Cute! That totally suits you. Now, go on, fill out the rest of the profile. _Oh_ , and we have _got_ to pick a cute picture for your profile!”

 _That_ was going to be what Marinette put off doing the most. Before she could even consider a profile picture though, she filled out her interests, her hobbies, took care to mention that any money she got would go towards debt, living costs, and the best care for her rabbit (which earned an eyeroll from Chloé, but she wasn’t going to mock the choice, seeing as she had a chihuahua to care for.) After a moment, she entered in a value of €2400 as her monthly allowance, but still took care to state that she was willing to negotiate.

Marinette nearly hit the ‘create profile’ button once she had filled everything out and revealed what she wanted about herself to be shown to the online public. But Chloé’s hand shot out, and the blonde latched on to Marinette’s forearm.

“You can’t be serious. Are you _seriously_ about to make this without a profile picture? If a sugar daddy doesn’t have something to look at, how will he know you’ll be a baby he likes?”

“Chloé, I don’t want to show my face online. I might be able to hide my name, but if I show my face on here. . . What if someone I know finds me? I don’t know how I would be able to explain this to them!” She didn’t add that if her face was shown, potential customers would somehow find out, and she’d lose any income that way as well.

Alright, that was a bit more of a disastrous scenario, but it was a possibility!

Chloé laughed at that point, the haughty and still holier-than-thou sound seeming to bounce off her apartment walls.

“What?”

“Oh, you’re _adorable_. Look, you don’t _have_ to show your face, but you have to show _something_. You have pictures of you and your rabbit on this thing, right?” She waited for Marinette to give a nod before continuing, “Then what we’ll do is pick the best picture and just crop out your face. Your identity will be a mystery, but potential daddies will see that you’ve got a cute little pet to take care of.”

It took some time, but they finally managed to find Marinette’s favorite picture of her and Tikki. Granted, they couldn’t crop out _all_ of her face, but Chloé managed to remove enough that it still left it a mystery about who the girl with the rabbit was.

“There! They get a taste of you and get to see that you’re not fibbing about taking care of a pet.” Before Marinette could even have the chance to second guess all of this, Chloé pressed the ‘create profile’ button. “Welcome to the sugar dating world, Marinette.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Y’know, brooding in a mansion all day fits a vampire more, Gabe, and unless you want people to start thinking you’re some dastardly bloodsucker, we have got to get you out more. Right, Nathalie? He’s _got_ to get out more!”

Nathalie didn’t look at Jagged once his attention was directed to her, instead shooting a glance towards Gabriel that screamed ‘I don’t get paid enough for this.’

“Oh, come on! You can’t just let him brood! Look, Gabe.” Jagged turned his attention to the man in question. “I get it, you don’t want to go out anymore. You like being here or at your big company building, and if you ever show your face _physically_ , it’s always at a fashion show. Otherwise, you’ve got Nat over here just carting you around on her tablet!”

Gabriel vaguely registered the new expression that flickered across his assistant’s face. He was thankful that he knew the woman long enough to guess that this time she was saying ‘Don’t drag me into this.’

“Jasper, you know as well as anyone else in this room that I am not _brooding_. I have absolutely nothing to brood about anyway, so the fact that you even dare suggest that I am doing so for whatever reason you’ve concocted in your head is insane.” Not once did he lift his head to look at the rockstar, instead keeping his attention on the designs currently laid out before him.

Designs that were absolute eyesores at that. Why Jagged kept wanting him to make such _ridiculous_ things even when he knew that he would change them up at some point so they didn’t end up as a smear to his company name, he would never know. Still, it made for good business. Jagged would get a new set of costumes for whatever set of shows or whatever tour he would be going on, and Gabriel would get a bit more publicity for his fashion empire.

Still. Couldn’t the man just go to some other designer for his costumes? Every time Jagged came to him, he would _insist_ that they meet at the manor and almost immediately start prying into his life.

Just because they used to hang out in university didn’t make them friends now.

“First of all, how many times do I have to remind you that you _can_ call me Jagged? I only let _certain people_ call me Jasper now, if you know what I mean,” he said, adding in a bit of an eyebrow wiggle.

Gabriel chose to ignore it.

“Anyway, you’re _totally_ brooding. You’ve been brooding for _years_ now, every since Emilie, well. . .” Jagged didn’t continue that train of thought, but that didn’t mean it had gone completely unheard and ignored.

Oh no, quite the opposite in fact.

If Gabriel was to stop and actually think about this, then _yes_ , Jagged would be right about him brooding about like some character in a gothic novella of some sort. When Emilie passed away due to cancer several years back, Gabriel had effectively locked himself away from the world. He never even took the time to find a moment to spend with his own son, finding it to be difficult at times since he would still see so much of _her_ in Adrien.

For years he had just thrown himself into work. The fact that Jagged, of all people, had not yet been deterred by his icy attitude and lack of visible emotions and was _still_ trying to get him to crawl out of his self-imposed shell was amazing. But it also never worked, no matter how many times he would try.

“If we’re still on the train of thought of me being a _brooding vampire_ , as you so kindly put it, _Jasper_ , at least I’m not doing the stereotypical vampiric thing by going off to _seduce_ some poor woman who reminds me of my dead wife.” The moment those words left his mouth though, he wondered if that had been the best thing to say. Now Jagged had a grin slowly growing on his face and-

Oh, great, he was getting up to walk over to him. Was it too late to try and find a way to backpedal this conversation to the entire reason they were all here in the first place? Which was the _costume designs_ for Jagged’s upcoming tour?

“Then _that’s_ how we get you out of here and stop your brooding!”

Clearly not.

“Excuse me?”

Jagged’s grin only grew. “Think about it! You’ve been brooding because you _don’t_ have your lady anymore. But maybe that’s what you need to _stop_ your brooding! You just got to find yourself another girl! I’m sure there’s _someone_ out there for ya, Gabe!” He sounded so sure of himself it was almost laughable.

“ _If_ he was to get out of the manor to spend time with anyone, then M. Agreste would probably have to be _paying_ whatever poor woman happened to end up as his companion for the day,” Nathalie said.

For a moment, Jagged’s grin fell, almost as if he had been defeated by the suggestion. But soon he had a curious expression on his face, and Gabriel could swear he saw the gears turning in the rockstar’s mind. A look of realization then crossed Jagged’s face in an instant, and that infuriating grin of his was slowly tugging at his lips once more. Oh, great, what the hell could he be planning now?

“That’s it! There _is_ a way he can pay someone to spend time with him!”

Both Gabriel and Nathalie glanced at one another before returning their attention to Jagged. They were just a bit morbidly curious as to _what_ he was thinking of.

“Okay, don’t shoot down the idea once you hear it. But listen. You can get out of the house, stop brooding, and be able to spend time with someone, if. . .”

Oh, lovely, now he was trailing off into silence for a dramatic effect or something. How wonderful.

“. . . You become a _sugar daddy_!”

Nathalie made a choking sound that Gabriel couldn’t tell if it was a laugh or a gasp. As for his own reaction, well, he found himself simply staring at Jagged, keeping his expression as blank as ever.

Meanwhile, he felt a part of him bubbling up inside, wanting to lash out and hurl all manner of insults towards the man for even _daring_ to suggest that he do such a thing.

He pushed down that part of him without sparing a thought towards it.

“Jasper, please, you _can’t_ be serious. That is something I really don’t think I could do. The press would hound me and the poor woman who happened to be in my company, and a scandal is something I would very much like to avoid. But if _you_ would like to cause one, be my guest. I’m sure you would _thrive_ off of that.”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Think about it this way, Gabe. You get out of the house, yeah? You get to spend time with a cute girl, but you guys don’t have to do anything! The rules and boundaries get decided by the sugar baby, okay? So no being the controlling asshole I know you can be.”

He wasn’t listening. He wasn’t listening and he was just continuing on with this train of thought. It was very tempting to tell him to get out of the manor and come back when he was ready to actually do some work and not run his mouth like a complete buffoon.

“Jasper, I don’t think this is the best idea.”

Jagged, of course, still wasn’t listening, fully engrossed in trying to explain the ins and outs of being a sugar daddy. It’s like he seriously thought Gabriel had agreed to the whole thing.

Gabriel let out a sigh, moving over to where Nathalie was. “I can handle him from here, Nathalie. You can go home for the day.”

Nathalie gave him a look when he said that, her eyebrow raising in question. He knew that look all too well, and if he was being honest, he’d rather not be on the receiving end of her expressions during this. He already knew she’d come in tomorrow to do just that.

“Nathalie. I’ll handle it,” he repeated, motioning for her to leave. He watched as she shot him another look, knowing all too well that that one meant ‘don’t do anything stupid.’

When his assistant was out of the room, Gabriel turned his attention back to the rockstar, not at all surprised to see that the man was still talking out of his ass.

“-and then, you _really_ got to-!”

“ _Jasper_.”

Gabriel’s voice cut through Jagged’s ramblings, causing him to finally turn and look at the designer. He showed no indication towards if he knew Gabriel had been listening to him or not.

“Would you shut up and let us get back to work if I humor you with this. . . Sugar daddy nonsense?” God, he couldn’t believe he was actually going to do this. Not that anything would come out of it, he was certain of that. Barely anyone interested him, and he saw no real reason to go out with someone, _especially_ if the entire thing may cause a scandal and ruin his name and image.

He couldn’t let _that_ happen.

“It isn’t nonsense, Gabe! Trust me, you’ll see. You’re going to absolutely love it, alright? Now, let’s go to your computer, because we can’t just stand around and talk about it. You got to get yourself set up online!” Jagged was running over to Gabriel’s desk and plopping himself in the man’s chair, already typing away on his computer.

He was going to seriously regret this.

Gabriel made his way over to join Jagged, inwardly groaning when he saw that the man had indeed pulled up a sugar dating site and set him up on a ‘create profile’ page. He motioned for Jagged to get out of his chair, knowing that if he let him have free reign then his name would be all over the tabloids in mere minutes.

He didn’t bat an eye when he noticed that he needed to pay a fee to make his account, figuring it was to just prove that he could afford a sugar baby. Not that he was actually going to have one. He was going to just make the account, nothing more.

Jagged guided him through the whole thing, even though it wasn’t that difficult. He took care to keep anything personal off of the profile, practically leaving it as a bare bones sort of page.

“Come on, man, you gotta give the girls something to bite on here. They’re gonna look at this and want nothing to do with you! Look, okay, you still got to add in your age. Lots of sugar babies love an older man. Don’t forget to add in a few more hobbies, and hey! Let them know you’re a fashion designer! You don’t even need to give the brand name, but it’ll make them want to know more about you, I’m sure!”

“Jasper, honestly, I’m only doing this to get you off of my back about it.”

“Yeah, and if I’m lucky, you’ll get out of the house!”

Gabriel sighed, adding in his age and a few more minor details about himself. The last thing he had to do was add in a profile image, except. . . He was certain that he didn’t have any that hid his features.

Great.

He tried to be sneaky and hit the ‘create profile’ button. Jagged poked his shoulder though, stopping him right before he even had a chance to press it.

“Hey man. No picture is the _worst_ thing for a daddy to do. Look, do you have any from magazines that show you working on some sort of design? We could just show off your hands or something. _That_ would make a girl want you, too, I bet.”

“I have no such images. Unless you’re also suggesting that we also take a few and pick some from there?”

Once more, Gabriel found himself regretting that he said anything, just from the look on Jagged’s face.

"Photoshoot time!"

***

He didn’t know how long they had spent just photographing himself from the chest down. It had been a long time since he had done any sort of modeling, but that was a more professional setting. This? This was him in his home office, trying to not snap at Jagged as he directed him and took pictures as possible profile images.

Gabriel decided to go with the one of him working on a pair of pants that was _supposed_ to be for Jagged’s next set of costumes. He was going to have to change the design now to ensure he kept his tracks covered. He also decided, before the rockstar had the chance to give him some sort of ridiculous screen name that had something to do with the word ‘daddy’, to give himself the name ‘ASeamlyFashion’. It was a subtle pun, and it kept with the fact that he was a fashion designer.

He was still certain though, even as he hit the ‘create profile’ button, that nothing would come of this entire thing. He was fine on his own, he was only making this to humor an old friend, nothing more. He wasn’t going to message anyone on this stupid site, and he’d probably ignore most messages he got as well.

“Alright, _Jagged_. I’ve humored you, now let’s get back to work, please?”

Jagged grinned, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

At last they could _finally_ get back on task.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a LOVELY thank you to my fiancee for writing all of Gabriel's bits for this chapter. Without you, I don't know what I would have done. And a huge thanks to Pip for looking over this for me to tell me if anything needed changing or not.

“Look, I’m just looking to have a fun time with someone, is that so wrong?” The man gave her a bit of a leering grin.

Marinette could only sigh inwardly as she gathered up her things. “Yeah, I’m not. . . I’m not looking for that. Thank you though.” First dates. Definitely not an easy thing. How many now had she dealt with where the daddy just wanted a ‘fun time’ with a sugar baby?

At least this one didn’t start off the conversation by talking about the women he had already been with.

***

“So _then_ I had to tell him that no! I was not going to laugh at such a horrid joke because it just wasn’t as funny as he made it out to be!” His sentences were emphasized by haphazard arm gestures, and it took all of Marinette’s willpower to not laugh and draw attention to them.

Looks like second dates could be easier. This one was certainly enjoyable enough that she could see herself going on another date with him later.

***

“I’m not a student, actually, I graduated already.”

“Oh really? What did you study then?”

“Fashion design. I even have my own boutique.” At least this first date had an okay topic of conversation. She could deal with talking about what she had gone to school for.

The man across from her nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. Marinette wasn’t sure what to make of the look that crossed his face as he took in her answer though.

And then his phone went off, and Marinette could only sit back and watch as he grabbed his cup and left the little café they were in.

She couldn’t even guess what went wrong.

***

“Sorry, can’t make it today, something came up,” Marinette read aloud. She groaned, tapping the lock button on her phone before setting it back into her purse.

This was the fourth daddy to just up and cancel on her in the last two weeks or so. What did Chloé call these daddies again? Oh, right.

A poof daddy. That’s what these assholes were called.

***

“I know we’ve been out a few times now,” he began, and from his tone of voice alone, Marinette couldn’t help but worry about where the topic would go.

“Yeah? What about them?”

“I want to give you a bit of a choice, Marinette.” He reached out to take her hand in his, but she managed to slip away before he could. “Either you only see me and I give you an allowance, or we cancel this arrangement entirely.”

She couldn’t help but feel like he was a bit possessive, saying that. “Would you be able to match the allowance I ask for though, Monsieur?”

He laughed at that, the sound sending a bit of a chill down her spine. She didn’t like this at all.

“I might not be able to match it _at first_ . After a few months, _maybe_. . .”

“I’m sorry then, but I can’t see us continuing this. Thank you for everything until now though.”

She was just going to take her money and go. There was no way she was going to go from pay-per-dates to an allowance in such a short time with someone she hardly knew.

***

Marinette didn’t know what to do. She had gone on enough dates to pay off some of her debt, but most of the potential sugar daddies (or POTs as they were called) she had met up with. . . Well, she couldn’t see herself seeing them after even just the first date. God, she never even _went_ on the first date with some of them.

How many daddies had sent her a message on the site with the intent of only wanting to see if she would sleep with them? How many would send her a message but immediately be trying to make a list of rules for her to follow along with?

Too many.

God, it was tiring to go online, too, and have to turn down any third, fourth, or (if they even got there) fifth dates. But she also needed the money, and that was the only reason she kept consistently going online.

“Maybe I should give up, Tikki,” she said, glancing over at the rabbit. Tikki’s ears flicked, the only indication that the animal had heard her. She sighed, forcing herself away from the skirt she had been picking at for the past few hours. She went to sit at her desk and open up her laptop. Even though she wanted to give up and keep trying to get through this the long way, she knew it wouldn’t work.

With a sigh, she opened up the sugar dating site and immediately looked through her messages. Most were easy to respond to since they were mostly her turning down a second date with daddies who she wasn’t interested in and only wanted to sleep with her. Others she gave a hesitant ‘maybe’ to if it was for a third date and was a daddy she got along with.

The sheer amount that was asking for her number though simply went unanswered and were deleted without a second thought. There was no way that she would give out her number without having gone on several dates with a sugar daddy.

“I’m not going to get anywhere like this, Tikki. It’s just the same messages all the time, most of them don’t even go anywhere,” she said, closing out the message page. “I don’t want to, but. . .”

She had to actually look for a daddy. She couldn’t just wait for them to come to her. Waiting for them come to her ended with more refusals for a date and almost no second dates, which meant she barely got any money.

Marinette began to look through the daddies on the site, opening up a few profiles in new tabs to look over in better detail later. She didn’t want to just send messages randomly and get sucked into something she wasn’t going to enjoy after all. Not every potential sugar daddy was going to be a good sugar daddy, she had learned.

She was about to click over to one of the tabs when a profile image caught her eye. She was quick to click on it, opening up the daddy’s profile.

Now with the profile open, she could get a better look at the profile image. It was a man’s hands working on a pair of pants, either repairing them or just making them, she couldn’t be sure. Could he be a fashion designer? What would a fashion designer be doing on here though?

She took a look over the information he had set up on his profile, taking notice that yes, he was a fashion designer, and that he kept it strictly professional and didn’t reveal anything too personal.

Just like her.

This should be _nothing_ but red flags. Someone who avoided showing his face and kept his information on the strictly professional side? She really shouldn’t be even _considering_ messaging him. But he had to have a reason for hiding his face and information, right? He might be someone big and important, and if he was found out on this site it would mean trouble, and-!

Marinette noticed something else in the picture that made her heart sink.

It might be on a different finger, but she recognized a _wedding band_ when she saw one. _That_ set up the red flags.

Now, she had met up with some sugar daddies who were married men, and who mostly wanted to shower someone with affection and lavish presents. Those she would go on a second date with to _at least_ get some money, even though it didn’t sit right with her.

But some she saw and didn’t know they were married until later in the first date (or rarely on the second date), those were the ones who were unhappy with their marriages. It didn’t matter if they blamed the wife or any children, but Marinette took care to cut ties with those daddies entirely.

She didn’t like the implications that could follow her if she was to stick with seeing those daddies.

Of course, with this daddy, Marinette didn’t _know_ if he was wanting a baby to spoil or if he wanted a mistress. Hell, the fact that his ring wasn’t on the ring finger should mean something, right?

Unless he put it there for the photo?

She bit her bottom lip, knowing full well that she was probably worried about nothing. But if she got the chance to ask him, maybe she could find out that way? She just had to. . . Start a conversation, right? If it turned out that he was married, she had her rule to fall back on and bring up. Besides, it would be interesting to just talk with another designer, right?

It didn’t help that she was also trying to convince herself that the main reason she was going to message him was because he was another designer and that it was the work in the profile image that caught her attention and not just his hands. Deep down though, she knew that she really liked his hands and could already picture what she wanted them to do to her.

The message button seemed to taunt her then, and she clicked on it to open the message window and type up something before she could talk herself out of it.

[ **PrettyInPink:** um]

[ **PrettyInPink:** hello]

[ **PrettyInPink:** so, are you a fashion designer?]

Why the _fuck_ did she decide **that** was going to be her starting message?! How stupid could she get?!

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I see you’ve been paying attention.]

Well, that made him sound smug. Marinette scowled at her screen before typing back.

[ **PrettyInPink:** sorry, it’s just that]

[ **PrettyInPink:** I wasn’t expecting to see another fashion designer on here]

[ **PrettyInPink:** that’s all]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Oh? So, you're a fashion designer? Color me surprised too.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** I am, but I don’t think I’m that good]

After all, her boutique barely got customers that were people she didn’t know. She knew that it was probably her own fault for being terrible at advertising herself and her product, but she still felt it was a reflection of her own skills as a designer.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Well, that certainly doesn't make me interested in your work. Why are you not confident in it?]

[ **PrettyInPink:** It’s not that my work isn’t good! Some of it is more impressive than you’d think!]

She clicked on the icon to add images to the chat, scrolling through a few pictures she had taken of her designs before sending some of her best and favorite ones.

She had to be careful though, and had gone with designs that wouldn’t be too well known. Not that they would be, of course.

She just didn’t want to give herself away.

Marinette waited for several minutes to get a response from him. Originally, she had felt confident and, honestly, a bit peeved when sending him the pictures. After all, whenever someone tried to claim disinterest in her work, she ended up doing her damn hardest to convince them otherwise and _prove_ that she was a good designer. She’s just never had to do that with an actual fashion designer before. But. . . Wait.

What if he was one of those designers that stole from others?! And if he was a big name designer, then her designs could be called the copies! He could ruin her image in no time! No one would ever go to her again if they thought she had stolen from a big name designer! He might be taking a while to respond not because he was preparing a critique, but because he was copying her work!

The notification sound for the site rang out through her laptop speakers.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** These are very good designs, actually.]

Oh, thank god, he finally replied!

[ **PrettyInPink:** you really think so?]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Yes. Why do you think you're not good?]

[ **PrettyInPink:** well, you see]

Marinette sighed, looking over the other tabs she had opened up. She really didn't want to message anyone else, even though she knew she would probably have to at some point.

[ **PrettyInPink:** my customers tend to just be people I know]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Ah, I see. So you've lost confidence because no one else is buying?]

[ **PrettyInPink:** kind of. I also got a bit in over my head and opened up my boutique as soon as I had graduated]

Marinette knew that probably sounded vague, but had listed this and her reasoning for being on the site in her profile. Hopefully he wouldn’t ask her for anything too personal with this.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** So I'm guessing you didn't build up enough of a reputation or invest into advertisement enough to keep yourself above water? That makes sense.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** something like that. I also didn’t wait for a grant to come in, so, here I am]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Well, getting ahead of one's self tends to be the prime reason people get into debt, after all.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** yeah]

She glanced at his profile picture again. Was now a good time to mention the ring?

No. Not yet.

[ **PrettyInPink** : a friend recommended that I do this, even though I was against it at first]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Similar here. An old friend pushed me to try. Apparently, I'm not getting out enough.]

Marinette giggled at that, finding it to be a pretty amusing image to think about.

[ **PrettyInPink:** I think that’s the first time I’ve heard that as a reason for why someone is on this site]

[ **PrettyInPink:** so I couldn’t help but be amused by it]

Plus, if he was telling the truth, then maybe the ring wasn’t wedding band?

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I'm going to guess most of the sugar daddies come on here a lot more willingly, huh?]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I had to fight to keep him from writing out my profile for me. He was about to make it a horrendous mess if I didn't join of my own accord.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Which, I suppose, is his way of forcing me because he knows it'd bother me. So, I suppose I didn't really join of my own accord after all.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** they tend to be more willing and have a variety of reasons for why they’re on here]

[ **PrettyInPink:** some sugar babies are here for reasons other than money, too]

[ **PrettyInPink:** but I’m trying to avoid having to do that sort of thing to try and pay off my debt]

[ **PrettyInPink** : sorry that your friend basically strong armed you into joining. I bet you weren’t even expecting any messages, either]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Honestly, I expected that if I left it alone, no one would message me and I could say I tried it out so he could be satisfied.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I suppose I can't attempt that trick now.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Still, your designs are good, so I suppose it's not a waste.]

Her cheeks flushed slightly at that. It was one thing to have friends and family to complement her designs.

It was another thing for a legit fashion designer to compliment them.

[ **PrettyInPink:** thank you. I work hard on all of my designs]

Even if she wasn’t doing too great business wise.

[ **PrettyInPink:** if you want, you can still attempt your trick? I’m sure there’s someway it might still work]

After all, if he wasn’t on here to find a sugar baby, she probably shouldn’t ask about meeting him. Her attention was drawn to the ring once more, but, she had her doubts still.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Perhaps, but maybe this could still be beneficial for us. After seeing your designs, I find myself thinking a bit more about different arrangements. I'm guessing you might want help with marketing if you can get it?]

Different arrangements? Help with marketing? That. . . That could be stuff where they don’t have to actually meet, right? Besides, she didn’t know if she wanted to be getting money because she was learning something she should have done better with in the first place.

Marinette knew she was taking too long to respond, too, but he could wait. She got up to go over to Tikki, picking her up and gently pressing her face into her fur.

What if this was just his way of making an excuse for why he would talk to her or have her around? And she already made it a slight rule to not see any POTs that are married.

And if he was married. . .

Marinette walked back over to sit at her laptop again, setting Tikki in her lap.

[ **PrettyInPink:** would it be something we could do without meeting?]

[ **PrettyInPink:** I know, sounds very unlike how any sort of arrangement usually goes. And while I do want help with marketing, I have a bit of a rule for myself]

She took a breath before continuing her thought.

[ **PrettyInPink:** I don’t like going out on dates with daddies that are married]

He was taking a while to respond again. Was he trying to come up with an excuse for the ring? Was he going to scold her for daring to think that he was married, since the ring wasn’t on the correct finger and all.

Or was he going to try and find a way to get away with talking to her despite being married? What was he-

_Ding._

Oh, he answered.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** My wife is no longer with us.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** She passed several years ago.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I just can't will myself to take my ring off. I'll always love her, no matter how long I go without her. Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.]

Oh. She. . . She didn’t. . . God, now she felt a bit like a bitch for bringing it up in the first place.

[ **PrettyInPink:** no, I’m sorry. I didn’t even consider any other reason for the ring]

[ **PrettyInPink:** after all, you had it on a different finger, and then you said your friend had you make this account]

[ **PrettyInPink:** it’s not something I’m uncomfortable with, really. Some sugar daddies I’ve met that are married just want someone to give gifts to]

[ **PrettyInPink:** but others made it clear they want a mistress and would hide their rings]

Those were the kinds she hated. She had even worried he might be like that until now.

[ **PrettyInPink:** so again, I’m sorry I brought it up]

Marinette found herself clicking between tabs as she waited for an answer this time, trying to keep herself from feeling too bad about this. But she also hadn’t been counting on, well, any of the current conversation.

Maybe she should have kept quiet about the ring. She shouldn’t have brought it up.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** You wouldn't know and it's an understandable worry.]

He was taking a while, and she was starting to assume that he had closed up his end of the chat and walked away, which would be understandable, considering that she sort of unintentionally brought up his dead wife. She was about to do the same and send a different POT a message when his message finally came in.

[ **PrettyInPink:** yeah, I suppose]

[ **PrettyInPink:** and if you’re still willing, um]

[ **PrettyInPink:** some marketing lessons would be nice. I would also understand if you’d rather we stick to online conversations though when it comes to that]

[ **PrettyInPink:** after all]

She looked at his faceless profile image and thought of her own faceless image.

[ **PrettyInPink:** we’re both hiding]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** Very true. I'm not the only one hiding my face here. How can I be sure you aren't trying to steal marketing ideas, then?]

Oh, so he was going to accuse her of stealing marketing ideas? Then again, she thought that he was stealing her designs when he was taking forever to react to them, so maybe they were even in that sense.

[ **PrettyInPink:** you have no reason to trust anything I say, I know that]

[ **PrettyInPink:** but if I was stealing marketing ideas, then maybe I would have been out of debt by now]

[ **PrettyInPink:** besides]

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should even continue. But she had already left him with a bit of a cliffhanger there, so she had to say something.

[ **PrettyInPink:** theft in this line of work is a horrible thing. I’ve nearly had a design stolen during a contest while I was in school, but I knew how to prove it was mine]

[ **PrettyInPink:** I can’t bear the thought of stealing from another]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** You make a good point. If you were stealing ideas you either would already be successful or perhaps even be completely blacklisted by the community. Surely you aren't the second one, though, are you? Because if you were, you could consider our little arrangement not even worth starting.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** if I was blacklisted from the community, I probably wouldn’t even have the customers I do have for my boutique]

Especially Chloé. If they weren’t sort of friends, she would probably find ways to convince most people to not even look at Lucky Charm Boutique. Then her only customers would be the ones who probably felt sorry for her.

Her debt would probably be in worse shape then, too.

[ **PrettyInPink:** but I can assure you, Monsieur, that I am not blacklisted. I may be small in this community, but I intend to grow and show everyone what I can do with my own designs]

[ **PrettyInPink:** I’ve simply made some bad choices and now I’m stuck trying to get out of the hole I’ve put myself in]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I see. Well, I suppose I could start you off with a few tips.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** that would be lovely]

***

She didn’t know how long she had spent talking with him. Long enough that she had to get up and get herself something to eat, and she had even gone ahead and started working on an order that had been placed the other day.

In between it all, Marinette was taking careful notes. Sure, it wouldn’t help her over night, but this could get her and Lucky Charm Boutique somewhere.

[ **PrettyInPink:** thank you for this, Monsieur. Though, looking at the time I’m sure we should both turn in]

And she had a few new messages to look at that had come in during the ‘lesson’. Maybe she could get a few more dates set up before she went to sleep?

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I suppose so. Should we attempt to arrange anything else before sleeping? I'm not sure how we're supposed to go about this.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** why, Monsieur, I couldn’t possibly ask you for money after a lesson!]

Marinette grinned as she typed, feeling a bit pleased that she knew even just a tiny bit more than he did here.

[ **PrettyInPink:** I haven’t even gone on a proper first date with you! I couldn’t dare take money that I haven’t earned]

Okay, that. . . Didn’t sound right, but she couldn’t help herself at the moment!

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** You did, however, give me a nice distraction. I'm normally an insomniac already, but this time there was more to occupy my mind.]

She helped distract him? She never had a POT say something like that before. But it didn’t change the fact that there was no actual first date, and therefore no reason for her to ask for a payment.

[ **PrettyInPink:** I’m glad I could be of some help. But I mean it when I say that I can’t ask for your money right now. As there was no first date, there isn’t really a way to gauge how well we’d properly get along]

[ **PrettyInPink:** even if we were to keep chatting like this, I don’t know if I’d want to take your money since I don’t know the kind of man you are in person]

[ **PrettyInPink:** and, since we’re both hiding, well]

She doubted he would ever wish to meet her face-to-face.

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I see. I suppose the lessons are payment enough for now. Can I still expect to hear from you again tomorrow?]

He wanted to hear from her tomorrow? She hadn’t set up a date yet, and she was going to be at the boutique most of the day. But surely there was no harm in messaging him, right?

[ **PrettyInPink:** yes, you can. I was thoroughly entertained today, even if it was through a lesson, Monsieur. You did far better than my university instructors]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I would hope I would be more interesting than a professor.]

[ **ASeamlyFashion:** I look forward to your messages tomorrow, then. Sleep well.]

[ **PrettyInPink:** sleep well, Monsieur. I’ll speak with you again tomorrow]

She closed the browser and went to shut off her computer. The other messages she could answer in bed, after all. And even if she had some first dates to plan, she had something far more interesting to look forward to the next day.


End file.
